Facilitating change

No matter what industry you're in, you're dealing with change.If for no other reason than the fact that technology is changing so fast.Some industries are built on change, and are in fact about getting others tochange. Like fashion for example.They sell change for every season. Change happens all the time, but theimpact of change can be either positive or negative.Did you know that 70% of change initiatives fail?Think about that. This statistic represents a huge loss oftime, energy, and money. and this failure is due mainly to poorleadership, because the change process was not correctly facilitated, dooming theinitiative and possibly the organization. This is because people focus mainly on thechange, and they forget to address the transition.

Let's take a common example. Serena is promoted to a new position,regional director. Change is the structural shift thatoccurs, like the new job description, placement on the org chart, and the movingof her belongings to a new office. It's factual and unemotional.Transition on the other hand, is the psychological process that involves thehuman thoughts and feelings that accompany any change.In this case, Serena may be thrilled for this opportunity, but feels some sadnessat leaving her team. Other people may also have reactions suchas happiness for Serena or even worry about what this change might mean forthem. And this is what facilitating change isall about, Tending to the psychological process of transition.

Research has shown again and again, that humans have a fairly predictable patternwhen it comes to change. In fact, it's called the change curve andit looks like a roller coaster. While there might be excitement, there'san initial and sometimes dramatic drop in productivity and morale.Effective leaders can impact the change curve, by making the hills less dramaticand shortening the length of time the process takes.All of this can result in huge savings in all key measures of performance andproductivity. The three key strategies I want to giveyou today are these. Number one, empower people in the changeprocess. This means that instead of pushing peopleto change which triggers resistance, you genuinely involve them in designing andimplementing the change. Bring the people who will experience thechange into the decision making process early, and have them co-create the change.

This not only creates buy in, but you will yields far more effective ideas becausethe people who are most impacted can bring their experience to the table.Number two, build and maintain trust. Because of the emotional nature of change,you want to do everything you can to create a culture of trust.This means clarifying the organization's intentions with a change, being reliableby matching your words to your actions, and being trustworthy by honoring youragreements. You can't build trust overnight, so ifyour organization has low trust, you should first prioritize building it,before you tackle big changes. Number three, tend to the power of habit.

Recent research has shown that humans are by and large, creatures of habit.Every day we engage in habit loops that have been built over time and in manycases, are quite grooved, both behaviorally and neurologically.Think about your own day, habit is behind your commute to the office, how you behavein meetings, and even how you answer your phone.When we implement change, we are simultaneously asking people to break oldhabits that are well grooved, familiar and comfortable.To be replaced by new behaviors that are not yet habits, and are thereforeunfamiliar, sometimes awkward and uncomfortable.

Even Serena whose going to a new and exciting role, will have some discomfortas she learns new habits for her position. Luckily, Serena's supported by a clearvisual reminder as she has a new office. But what about the majority of people whomust change while sitting at their same desk and doing their same job.Effective leaders facilitate the change process by intentionally shifting oldbehaviors. They create an ending to the old way, evenif it's symbolic. And then generate excitement about theimplementation of the new way. Here's an example.

If you're moving people to a new space or building, have some kind of symbolicclosure of the old, like a casual gathering with food, and share a few wordsabout all the great things that happened in that space.When you get to the new space, have a grand opening of sorts, where youacknowledge some of the key changes and you talk about what you hope to accomplishthere. Effective leaders are patient, and allowpeople time to make the transition, knowing that after about 40 repetitions ofthe new behavior things will settle down. Think about how you can use thesestrategies to facilitate change in your organization.

As a leader, you have a powerful role to play in helping others move throughchange.

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Released

6/25/2013

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Lynda.com is a PMI Registered Education Provider. This course qualifies for professional development units (PDUs). To view the activity and PDU details for this course, click here.The PMI Registered Education Provider logo is a registered mark of the Project Management Institute, Inc.

Topics include:

What is leadership, and when are you leading?

Mapping your leadership competencies

Dealing with changing scope and stakes

Motivating and engaging others

Increasing team performance

Developing political acumen

Creating a culture of trust and integrity

Developing resilience<br><br>

The PMI Registered Education Provider logo is a registered mark of the Project Management Institute, Inc.